Oz censor bans Soldier Of Fortune: Payback

Bodies blown apart too much it seems

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Australian gamers looking forward to a fix of blood, guts and gore in Soldier Of Fortune: Payback will be disappointed - the country’s Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) has banned the game.

The game, the third in the Soldier of Fortune series from publisher Activision, was due to appear in Australia for several formats, including the PS3 and the Xbox 360, later this year. But the OFLC has refused to classify the title, a decision that makes it illegal to sell the game Down Under.

What's all the fuss about?
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The OFLC – Australia’s version of Britain’s BBFC – claimed the game contains “high impact violence” that exceeds the highest MA15+ rating it can give to a game. The decision was also based on the number of different ways a player can maim or injure other characters, the organisation said.

The censors felt the game’s “substantial blood spray” and “blood splatters on the ground and wall” were too much for Aussie gamers to handle. It wasn't too happy about the ability to target specific body parts either, resulting in dismembered limbs and more geysers of gore.

Such a graphic gore fest might, to some, make Manhunt 2, which was banned by the BBFC, seem like a beach barbecue on Bondi in comparison.

The OFLC has already refused classifications to Blitz: The League this year, for its apparent reference to in-game drug use.